The Great Wall Comes Down Text: Acts 10:23-33
Introduction: A World of Walls
We live in a world that is obsessed with tearing down walls, and at the same time is frantically building new ones. Our secular elites preach a gospel of inclusion while practicing the most rigorous exclusion. They demand tolerance for their own views and then build impenetrable walls of censorship and cancellation against any who dissent. They talk about unity, but what they mean is uniformity. They want a world without divisions, which is another way of saying they want a world where everyone thinks exactly as they do.
But the Bible understands that God is the one who builds walls, and He is the one who tears them down, and He does both for His own glory. For centuries, God had built a wall around His people Israel. This was the ceremonial law, a temporary partition intended to set them apart from the pagan nations, to keep them clean in a world of filth. This wall was a gift of grace for its time, a tutor to lead them to Christ. But the Jews had turned this gift into a source of ethnic pride. They had added their own graffiti to God's wall, layers of man-made tradition that turned a holy separation into a sinful arrogance. They began to believe the wall itself was the point, and not the God who stood behind it.
In Acts chapter 10, we witness a seismic event in the history of redemption. God, by His own sovereign hand, begins the public demolition of that middle wall of partition. He is not replacing it with the secularist's bland, borderless field of beige. No, He is building something far more glorious: one new man in Christ, the Church, where there is neither Jew nor Gentile. This is not the destruction of distinctions, but the creation of a new, unified people from every tribe and tongue. The story of Peter and Cornelius is not about God finally catching up to our modern, enlightened sensibilities about diversity. It is about God fulfilling His ancient promise to Abraham, that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed. This is not a story about Peter becoming "woke." It is a story about God waking Peter up to the global scope of the gospel.
What we see here is a divinely orchestrated collision of two worlds. God is the stage manager, moving all the pieces into place. He gives a vision to a Gentile soldier in Caesarea and another vision to a Jewish fisherman in Joppa, and then arranges their travel schedules. This is a story of God's absolute sovereignty in salvation, breaking down barriers that men thought were eternal, and doing it all through the simple preaching of the gospel.
The Text
And on the next day he rose up and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him. And on the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. And when Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.” As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled. And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man defiled or unclean. That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was summoned. So I ask for what reason you have summoned me.”
And Cornelius said, “Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments, and he said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is lodging at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.’ So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been ordered by the Lord.”
(Acts 10:23-33 LSB)
An Obedient Journey and an Eager Welcome (vv. 23-24)
We pick up the story with Peter's departure from Joppa.
"And on the next day he rose up and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him. And on the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends." (Acts 10:23-24)
Peter's obedience is immediate. Having received the vision and the Spirit's command, he doesn't dither. He doesn't form a committee to study the issue. He gets up and goes. But notice, he doesn't go alone. He takes "some of the brothers from Joppa with him." We learn later in chapter 11 that there were six of them. This was not a casual decision. Peter knew he was about to cross a major cultural and theological boundary, and he was wise to bring witnesses. These men were likely from the "circumcision party," men who were zealous for the law. Peter is bringing the potential opposition with him, so they can see what God is about to do with their own eyes. This is a masterful move, ensuring that when the report gets back to Jerusalem, it's not just Peter's word against a host of rumors.
Meanwhile, in Caesarea, Cornelius is not just waiting passively. He is a man of expectant faith. He has gathered his "relatives and close friends." This is a beautiful picture of household faith and evangelistic zeal. Cornelius received a word from God, and his first impulse was not to keep it to himself, but to share it. He wanted the people he cared about to be there when the messenger of God arrived. He turned his home into a preaching station. He didn't know exactly what Peter was going to say, but he knew it was from God, and he wanted everyone to hear it. This is how the gospel spreads: not through slick marketing campaigns, but through ordinary people, filled with expectant faith, gathering their friends and family to hear the Word of God.
Right Worship and Humble Correction (vv. 25-27)
The meeting of the two men is dramatic, and reveals a great deal about both of them.
"And when Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, 'Stand up; I too am just a man.' As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled." (Acts 10:25-27)
Cornelius, a Roman centurion, a man of authority and power, falls at the feet of a fisherman. In his reverence for the God who sent the messenger, he offers worship to the messenger himself. This is a sincere mistake, born of a pagan background where men often treated other men as gods. But it is a mistake nonetheless. And Peter's reaction is swift and decisive. "Stand up; I too am just a man."
This is a crucial moment. If Peter had any of the pretensions that would later be assigned to him by the Roman church, this was his chance. If he was the first Pope, this was the moment to accept the veneration, to enjoy the prostration. But he does the exact opposite. He refuses worship flatly. His response is decidedly non-papal. He immediately points away from himself and establishes their common humanity. This is the instinct of every true servant of God. John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." The holy angels in Revelation refuse worship for the same reason: "See that you do not do that... Worship God!" (Rev. 19:10). The line between Creator and creature must never be blurred. Peter understands this perfectly. He is a fellow man, a fellow sinner saved by grace, and nothing more.
Having corrected the worship, Peter then enters the house. This might seem like a small detail, but it is the whole point of the story. A Jew is entering a Gentile home, an act that would have been unthinkable for him just a few days prior. He is crossing the threshold of a new era in redemptive history.
The Unlawful Thing God Made Lawful (vv. 28-29)
Peter immediately addresses the elephant in the room.
"And he said to them, 'You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man defiled or unclean. That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was summoned. So I ask for what reason you have summoned me.'" (Acts 10:28-29)
Peter says it is "unlawful" for a Jew to associate with a Gentile. Now, we should put scare quotes around that word "unlawful." The Old Testament law itself did not strictly forbid all contact with Gentiles. Joseph, Daniel, and Nehemiah all lived and worked closely with Gentiles. But the Pharisees and teachers of the law had built a hedge around the Torah, adding layer upon layer of tradition to prevent any possible contamination. By the first century, this had hardened into a rigid social taboo. For a strict Jew to enter a Gentile's house and eat with him was considered a grave defilement.
Peter acknowledges this human standard, this cultural wall, only to immediately dynamite it with a word from God. "God has shown me that I should not call any man defiled or unclean." This is the lesson of the sheet full of animals. The vision wasn't really about lunch. It was about people. God was cleansing the nations, and Peter was not to call unclean what God had now declared clean. The ceremonial distinctions that separated Jew and Gentile were being abrogated in Christ. This is a revolution. Peter is not just changing his personal opinion; he is announcing a change in the divine administration of the covenant. Because God had spoken, Peter came "without even raising any objection." His obedience is rooted in God's revelation. He then turns the tables and asks a simple question: "So why did you send for me?" He knows God is up to something, and he wants to hear Cornelius's side of the story.
The Divine Setup (vv. 30-33)
Cornelius now recounts his experience, confirming that God has been working on both ends of the line.
"And Cornelius said, 'Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments, and he said, "Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God..." So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been ordered by the Lord.'" (Acts 10:30-33)
Cornelius gives his testimony. He was a devout man, praying at the appointed hour, when an angel appeared to him. The angel gives him two crucial pieces of information. First, his piety has been noticed in heaven. His prayers and alms have come up as a "memorial before God." This does not mean he has earned his salvation. No one can. Rather, it shows that he was a man genuinely seeking the true God, a God-fearer, and God in His grace was about to give him the one thing he lacked: the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Second, he is given specific instructions: send for Peter. God gives him the name, the city, and the address. God is a meticulous planner. Salvation is not a haphazard affair. God orchestrates every detail to bring His elect to a saving knowledge of His Son. The angel does not preach the gospel to Cornelius. This is significant. God honors the means He has appointed. He has ordained that the gospel be preached by men, by redeemed sinners telling other sinners about the Savior. And so an angel is dispatched to arrange a preaching appointment for an apostle.
Cornelius concludes with one of the greatest invitations a preacher could ever hope to receive: "Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been ordered by the Lord." What a posture. They are assembled "before God," recognizing His presence. They are ready "to hear," demonstrating their submission to the Word. And they want to hear "all" that Peter has been "ordered by the Lord," showing their desire for the whole counsel of God, not just the parts that might tickle their ears. This is a congregation that is ripe for harvest. They are not there to be entertained or to critique the sermon. They are there as beggars, waiting for the bread of life. And Peter is about to give it to them.
Conclusion: The Universal Lord
This entire episode is a masterclass in divine providence. God is the one who prepares the heart of the Gentile. God is the one who prepares the mind of the Apostle. God is the one who arranges the meeting. And God is the one who will, in the verses that follow, pour out His Spirit, confirming that the wall is well and truly down.
The implications are earth-shattering. If God has torn down the wall between Jew and Gentile, the most ancient and sacred division in the world, then no wall built by men can stand in the way of the gospel. No ethnic barrier, no cultural division, no political hostility can prevent the advance of the kingdom. The ground at the foot of the cross is level. Jesus is not a tribal deity. He is, as Peter will go on to say, "Lord of all."
Our task is the same as Peter's. We are to go to whomever God sends us, without objection. We are to refuse all worship and point only to Christ. And when we are given an open door and a ready audience, we are to preach everything we have been commanded by the Lord. We must declare that God has shown us not to call any person common or unclean, because the blood of His Son is sufficient to cleanse any sinner, from any background, who comes to Him in faith. The wall is down. The way is open. Let us therefore go.